Shriners Hospitals for Children hosts special clinic on Guam

Annalyn and Joshua Castro share the story of their son Elijah's health condition, and how they received help from Shriners Hospitals for Children Honolulu on July 20, 2017.
Chloe B Babauta/PDN

Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Robert Nemechek, front, looks over an ankle and foot orthotic device belonging to patient Elijah Castro, 4, during a visit to a Shriners Hospital For Children-Hawaii outreach at the Department of Public Health and Social Services in Mangilao on Thursday, July 20, 2017. Parents, Annalyn and Joshua Castro, say that the free medical services provided by the Shriners Hospital has been a tremendous help in treated their son who was experiencing difficulty in walking.(Photo: Rick Cruz/PDN)

An award-winning team of pediatric specialists from Shriners Hospitals for Children Honolulu will be on Guam to evaluate children’s conditions.

The clinic specializes on children’s bone, joint and muscle-related conditions. Doctors are scheduled to see over 300 patients through July 27 at the Department of Public Health and Social Services in Mangilao.

The most common conditions of children seen at the satellite clinic on island are scoliosis, spina bifida and uneven leg lengths, according to Shriners physician liaison assistant Genesa Que.

Spina bifida is a birth defect which occurs when the bones of the spine aren’t formed properly around part of the spinal cord, Que says.

It’s important to detect scoliosis, or an abnormally curved spine, before a child reaches puberty to correct early on, Que says. Correction methods include wearing a back brace, and in more severe cases, surgery.

The Shriners Honolulu team travels around the Pacific, including Micronesian and Polynesian islands, to help children with orthopedic conditions.

(Story continues below.)

CLOSE

Gabriel Biewenga, 3, of Santa Rita, is seen by doctors from Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriners' doctors are on Guam to perform consultation services for kids with orthopedic conditions, burns and spinal cord injuries.
Jerick Sablan/PDN

The hospital offers care to patients with any kind of insurance or no insurance at all.

“We come twice a year and we enjoy it,” says Dr. Robert Nemechek. “When we find somebody here that we can benefit with surgery in Honolulu, we arrange for them to come up and we treat them without regard for the cost.”

One of the many success stories of the clinic’s care is that of Elijah Castro.

Elijah, 4, was diagnosed at 19 months with spastic hemiplegia, a type of cerebral palsy. He has less mobility on one side of his body and couldn’t walk correctly before his surgery at Shriners Honolulu.

Elijah didn’t start walking until he was almost 2. One of his hands always stayed closed, his mother says.

“He also wasn’t talking like a normal child would,” Castro says. “He was always having ear infections and started crawling really late.”

After noticing many of his developmental milestones were delayed, the Castros sought help from Guam Early Intervention System by recommendation of Elijah’s pediatrician. They were then referred to a Shriners clinic.

In January, doctors told the Castros Elijah needed surgery on his right foot. The Shriners Hospital paid for the total cost of Elijah’s surgery and health care, and the family’s five-week hotel stay in Honolulu.

Without the help of Shriners, the Castros would have had to fly to the mainland U.S. to seek care and pay for lodging, surgery and travel fees.

At his check-up on July 20, Dr. Nemechek examined Elijah’s leg and brace. Elijah had broken his brace from running and jumping.

“Before he had his surgery, he would run and then he would trip — run, trip, run trip,” Castro says. “Now he’s doing much better. He can run. I mean, he still falls only because he’s not used to his foot being flat, so he still has to get used to it.”

Elijah can be seen by Shriners until he’s 18 years old, Que says. He’ll have to wear a brace for the rest of his life because of his condition. But the good news is he can get a long-term one for free through the hospital’s services.

“I never thought that I’d ever see Elijah be able to walk with both feet flat on the ground,” his mother says. “He’s able now to walk flat and jump. You know, it’s free services. They’ve helped us by helping out our kid.”

Families who want to bring their children to the clinic should call to be put on the waiting list, in case of cancellations. Names on the waiting list will also be held for the next clinic in December or January.

If you think your child needs care, call 735-7351 to schedule an appointment. For updates, you can follow Shriners Hospitals Satellite Guam on Facebook and Instagram.